MORELOS, Mexico, August 9, 2026.- Mexico opened its participation in the 2026 Men’s Pan American Cup with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-14) victory over Curaçao at Polideportivo 2 of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM).
The host team earned its first victory in Pool B, in a match in which it gradually increased its dominance as the sets progressed.
Curaçao had a good start and took the lead in the first set. The score remained close for much of the set, with both teams trading control, until Mexico managed to pull away down the stretch. After being tied 10-10, Mexico took a slight advantage and, although Curaçao stayed close at 22-20, the home side closed out the set 25-22.
Mexico found greater stability in the second set. After an even start, it pulled ahead 12-6 and maintained control of the score. A serving run by Franky Hernández helped extend the lead from 19-13 to 21-13, putting the hosts on their way to a 25-17 win.
In the third set, Mexico firmly imposed its rhythm. It jumped ahead 8-3 and progressively widened the gap to 16-9 and 21-12, also taking advantage of Curaçao’s errors. Mexico closed out the match with a service ace by Hernández for the final 25-14 score.
The home team led the statistics with advantages of 39-25 in attacks, 6-5 in blocks and 7-2 in aces. Mexico committed 21 unforced errors and Curaçao 23.
Franky Hernández led Mexico’s offense with 13 points, while Yasutaka Sanay contributed 12. Marlison Kleinmoedig was Curaçao’s leading scorer with 10 points.
On the second day of competition, Mexico will face Guatemala, while Curaçao will play Cuba.
Jesús Izaguirre, libero of Mexico: “We had a slow start to the match, but we gradually gained more confidence, and everything became easier; our system of play improved. It’s a very long tournament and we’re going to need everyone if we want to win it. It was good that the coach used different lineups.”
Isenia Arcadio, captain of Curaçao: “We started the match well, but the coach wanted to try some new things and this time they didn’t work. It’s important to try things because we have to prepare for the other matches. We’re satisfied with the result against a good opponent like Mexico. Tomorrow against Cuba, we’ll try to apply those things better and play better.”
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